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Breast cancer activism: past lessons, future directions

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 2, pages 225–230 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Breast cancer activism has become a fixture in the United States, where fundraising events are ubiquitous and government financing of research into the disease has skyrocketed. Activists in other countries are now reporting similar accomplishments. Here, predominantly using the United States as a case study, I analyse the recent successes of breast cancer activism. I also raise a series of questions about the future goals of activism.

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Figure 1: Educational poster issued by the American Society for the Control of Cancer, circa 1940.
Figure 2: Two of the first well-known breast cancer activists.
Figure 3: United States government funding for breast cancer research, 1990–1999.

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Acknowledgements

The author is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Generalist Physician Faculty Scholar and an Angelica Berrie-Arnold P. Gold Foundation Scholar. The author thanks S. Batt for her advice and V. Kiesig for research assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, Box 11, 630 West 168th Street, New York, 10032, New York, USA

    Barron H. Lerner

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  1. Barron H. Lerner
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DATABASES

CancerNet

breast cancer

cervical cancer

endometrial cancer

ovarian cancer

LocusLink

ERBB2

Medscape DrugInfo

Herceptin

raloxifene

tamoxifen

FURTHER INFORMATION

American Cancer Society

Avon Company

Boston Women's Health Book Collective

Breakthrough

Breast Cancer Action

Breast Cancer Action Montreal

Breast Cancer Fund

Canadian Breast Cancer Network

Canadian Cancer Society

Europa Donna

Imperial Cancer Research Fund

The Libby Ross Foundation

National Alliance of Breast Cancer Organizations

National Breast Cancer Coalition

National Cancer Institute

National Women's Health Network

Reach to Recovery International

SHARE

Susan B. Komen Foundation

Y-ME

LINKS

'The Breast Cancer Wars,' by Barron H. Lerner (Oxford 2001)

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Lerner, B. Breast cancer activism: past lessons, future directions. Nat Rev Cancer 2, 225–230 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc744

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